Graphic Novel Top 10 (ish) Part 2: Honorable Mentions

This is just a quick list + descriptions of graphic novels that were great but didn't make the Top 10 (they round out the top 20 instead).  They are in no particular order because they all hit a similar "great-but-not-the-best" rating.

Y: The Last Man - Imagine all the male creatures on earth were wiped out in an instant... what does that mean for the typical duality-based struggles we are used to on earth?  War, Labor, Creation and Protection of Offspring, Politics etc...   It's a finely drawn and well-thought out concept that follows the lines of post-apocolyptic writing with the exceptions that half of the world is still alive but with skewed experience (i.e. most as in >90% politicians, soldiers, pilots in the world are male).

Aya - Probably the first book I've seen showing a prosperous African nation.  The Ivory Coast is aptly portrayed here as the home of Aya, a typical (if more studious than her boy-crazy friends) young girl growing up in her homeland.  There are obvious cultural differences but most of the time her life and city are as familiar as the small town homes many Americans grew up in.

Stitches: A Memoir -  This is a pretty dark tale told from a young boy's perspective so it won't appeal to all readers, however I found it an amazing coming-of-age/overcoming your crazy-family story full of hope or maybe just sheer stubborness in not living out one's family destiny.  I recommend it for anyone who grew up feeling like the crazy one because of the people influencing their life.

The Color of Earth (also ...of Heaven & ...of Water) - This is a trilogy tale of a young girl/maiden/woman in Korea (each book covering one phase).  It is beautifully drawn and lovely in its content.  I loved especially the story of young love from the first book.

The Walking Dead - I'm going to have to join the chorus out there shouting that the graphic novel is far better than the television series.  And the television series was decent as far as the zombie plots out there go.  I'm not sure why the series made the changes it did but I think they lost some great character development and story-telling along the way.  The drawings are bold and sure-handed which I appreciated, especially if a great percentage of the pictures are going to be dedicated to the grotesque undead. 

Maus (Book1) - I haven't been able to locate the sequel through my library so I've only got half the story, however the tale that looks back through the author's father's eyes leading up to his entry into Auchwitz, is stunning.  We walk through the daily grind of life in Poland in the years leading up to his internment as slowly and inexorably the scenery changes from bad to worse.  Along the ride though we get insights into the family dynamics, personality tics and modern-day concerns that remind us of the very humanity (or in this case, rodentry) that was put on hold for years in the camps.  Strange to say, but it was a delight to read.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (or other Scott Pilgrim tales) - For those familiar with the movie (HIGHLY RECOMMEDED!), the film version is super-dedicated to near panel for panel faithfulness to the original.  I actually prefer the film because I liked the 'look' better than the cartoon-y characters from the graphic novel but the former wouldn't exist without the latter and the latter is pretty-darn good.

A representative of crime/noir - The Black Diamond Detective Agency by Eddie Campbell.  This one has a western bent to it as well but hits two goals for me: 1) it covers Eddie Campbell who is a great contributor to the genre but who's other pieces didn't hit the top o'the list for me & 2) it represents all the crime/noir pieces out there that the graphic novel is SUCH a perfect medium for.  I like classic film noir but usually in small increments (i.e. "Brick" is a fabulous out-of-the-ordinary noirish film with just enough of a light touch, whereas "The Maltese Falcon" is formulaic) and the same goes for novels (Mickey Spillane is a from-time-to-time escape but easy to overdose on).  In graphic novels you get the heights of the Look and Feel of classic noir along with the expected doses of the formula: femme fatales, red herrings, hard-boiled PI's and gritty dialogue.  And it doesn't bore you with its familiarity.  I've seen better as a representation but couldn't remember or uncover the title despite my huntings.  So this'll do and it has the added bonus of the shout-out to Mr. Campbell. :)

So that's it for graphic novel's folks... until Rabbi's Cat 3 is translated or Marjane Satrapi puts out something new!

Graphic Novels Discussion

There isn’t a definitive requirements list for establishing what a graphic novel is, and isn’t and I’m sure to offend die-hard fans of the genre so I’ll preempt this description with the declaration that I’m explaining for those who aren’t yet fans…

My Definition: A Graphic Novel is a complete story told through pictures with dialogue and narration in which the character or characters progress through plot points similar to a literary novel. It falls somewhere between an illustrated novel and a serialized comic.

My Graphic Novel Experience:

Great Illustrated Classics introduced me to Ben Hur, Captains Courageous, Great Expectations, A Tale of Two Cities, Sherlock Holmes, The War of the Worlds and other classics before I ever read the literary originals. These had one black and white drawing per page of writing in the abridged books and kept the tales moving along well. These hooked me on classics (especially adventure classics like Ben Hur and Captains Courageous).

I wasn’t reading superhero comics at the time (I was allowed Archie comics and Sunday comics but that was about it!) so these were my first experience of a story told through words and pictures. I never did become a comic book reader (though I love comic book movies!) likely because I felt too old for the medium once I was allowed to read it. Also, the comic book tales were serialized and not necessarily continued with the same authors or artists so they told short stories with new gimmicks every time rather than one complete story arc. The mythology of the characters becomes well developed (see any of the “[Insert Superhero] Men: The Ultimate Guide” books for references) but the stories themselves aren’t compelling or educational. We get to identify with the characters (teenage angst, isolation, etc) but not grow as a result of their stories.

Then along comes a graphic novel…. Propelled by graphics, yet full of beginning, middle & end story arc(s) that shows uses both the literary media and the graphic one to tell a tale that we take away a great deal more of. Whether memoir or fiction, these stories can move one as much as a book, or inform one where the printed word alone would be ignored.

I don’t remember my first graphic novel, but the one that hooked me on the genre (and made me take it seriously) was The Complete Persepolis , a compendium of Persepolis I & II which chronicled the author’s childhood and teens as a young Iranian woman (In Iran and France). I was blown away… not only did Iranians seem so relatable, but it put the last 30 years of political engagements with the U.S. into a completely different context. This was both the easiest and most engaging way to learn history ever! The author does a great job telling (true) stories as evidenced by her other works as well.

I’ve even discovered a favorite publisher: First Second (now owned by Macmillan) – they seem to have the right combo of story & good graphics for me. Eddie Campbell, Joann Sfar, Gene Luen Yang & others favs of mine are published with them.

So now, I’m a fan, and bound to add my own “Top 10”-ish List to the plethora out there.